Whether it’s John Maxwell, Zig Ziglar, Og Mandino, Napoleon Hill, Mark Batterson or in the Bible, movers and shakers always encourage you to put others first. Your winning and success depend on it. And they’re all right.
But first things first: You have to take care of yourself. You’ve heard the flight attendant spiel before a flight telling you to put on your oxygen mask first, then help someone else. The same principle applies in life, business and personal situations.
Studies show that most Americans spend less than an hour a week taking care of themselves. Singles are better than couples, and men are typically better than women. Very few of us — about 3 in 10 according to this survey — purposely block off time for ourselves in our calendars. So here are some tips — along with supporting statistics and references — to help you get to the front of the line. It’s okay sometimes, you know, to get the first scoop of ice cream.
Get your sleep. It’s more important than you think.
We’ve heard it all our lives, but it’s probably one of the areas we all fail. Not all sleep statistics are good. Now, how much sleep do you need? It varies, of course, by age and situation. But you have to start somewhere, so here’s a rule of thumb. Since age is a factor, I’ve noticed I feel better when I get a little more sleep — seven hours is a good barometer. I could run efficiently with three, four or five hours of sleep each night for a week or beyond when I was younger. Not so much anymore. While I haven’t started this practice, some friends get in a quick nap in the afternoon — and not all of them are older. Try it before you knock it!
Another sleep factor is setting a bedtime and wake up time — it’s a matter of consistency. Yes, it’s not easy, but work on it.
Take care of your health.
If we learned anything during the Coronavirus years, many of us have underlying conditions, and all of us may have a crack or two in our immunity. These things can act like a snowball effect or mix and match to create other complications. Either way, you aren’t helpless, but you should be aware. There are things you can do.
- Exercise. If nothing else, walk around the neighborhood. You can do something. Me, I have a stationary bike.
- Eat right. Make the switch from white bread to whole wheat or from white to brown rice. Even baby steps are an improvement. You can make progress with the little things. Here are a few tips.
- Listen to your doctor. You pay him for a reason.
- Move with a friend. Elizabeth walks with a neighbor once a week. Elizabeth and I try to walk together 2-3 times a week.
- Track your exercise. A Fitbit or Apple Watch will help you see your activity. That can be a game-changer.
- Vitamins are important. We take B-12, D, C and Zinc, but here are some others you may consider. As always, ask your doctor for suggestions.
Start every day a routine. Do the same things at the same time.
You’ve heard that old saying, “he got up on the wrong side of the bed.” Your day will go about as well as the first 30 minutes goes. If it starts bad, watch out. Sometimes, you need to start over. But, more importantly, be intentional about what happens in the opening moments and even the first hour of your day. What you do, what you say and how you react are critical.
Elizabeth and I both have our quiet time. We read, pray, and take time to reflect—Elizabeth journals every day — to start the day.
Address your finances. You can ignore the dollars, but don’t ignore the sense.
Finances are one of the significant stressors of our time. Don’t lose sleep over your money. Create a budget, then live on it. Sounds easy, I know, but it’s not rocket science. If you would like to have a conversation about your money, we can do that for free. Schedule a consultation here. It’s completely confidential.
Find time for your faith. Notice I didn’t say “religion”.
No, wait — make time because you’ll never find the time. Be intentional about putting God and your faith first. Church attendance has precipitously dropped since COVID hit, which means that people have either written God out or learned to worship in other ways. Watching church on Sunday in your PJs is undoubtedly better than not participating, but it’s not exactly what God intended for worship. Find a church or a small group and connect with God directly. You need to involve people — and God — in your faith.
Your you-time is critical.
Most of us do things for others. We don’t take time for ourselves, making this area the most forgotten. We all live crazy busy lifestyles, but it’s essential. Start with five minutes if you have to. Read a book, work in the yard, and take the long way to the mailbox. Make the time for yourself — it will be life-changing.
Just deal with it. Don’t push things aside.
What’s stressing you out the most? Move it to the top of the list. Heck, make it the entire list for today. Knock it out now, whatever has been stressing you for the past few days or weeks.
Bottom line, as you can tell, most of us don’t take good care of ourselves. We all have excuses and reasons, and some of them are good. But it’s time to focus on you just a little. It’s time to jump to the front of the line and get the first scoop of ice cream.
Question: What one thing will you do today to take care of yourself better?
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